TOPICS THAT INTEREST ME: Flowers, bees, and nature
CURRICULUM CONNECTION: Animal science
MY TESTABLE QUESTION: Which type of flower are bees most attracted to?
(Out of the flowers currently in my yard: Daffodils, plum tree blossoms, violets, pink viburnum, Cornell pink azalea.)
My experiment involves bee’s preferences. In my experiment I will watch bees and record how many go to different flowers. I will use six different species of flowers, each with different sizes, smells, and colors.
INDEPENDENT VARIABLE: The flower species (color, size, and how strong the smell is on a scale of 1-5)
Daffodils- color yellow, size large, and how strong the smell is on a scale of 1-5- 2
Violets- color deep purple, size small, and how strong the smell is on a scale of 1-5- 1
Plum tree blossoms- color white, size small, and how strong the smell is on a scale of 1-5- 3
Tulips- color bright yellow, size medium, and how strong the smell is on a scale of 1-5- 4
Pink Viburnum bush- color pale pink, size, large, and how strong the smell is on the scale of 1-5- 5
Cornell pink azalea- color bright pink, size medium, and how strong the smell is on a scale of 1-5 2
_
-Bee’s see flowers differently than humans.
-Bee’s are attracted to dark and very bright hues.
- A honey bee visits about 50-100 flowers during each collection trip.
- The fastest bumble bees can fly almost 10 miles per hour!
- It takes around one ounce of honey to fuel a bee’s flight around the entire world!'
-Pollination
Agriculture depends greatly on the honeybee for pollination. Honeybees account for 80% of all insect pollination. Without such pollination, we would see a significant decrease in the yield of fruits and vegetables.
-Pollen
Bees collect 66 lbs of pollen per year, per hive. Pollen is the male germ cells produced by all flowering plants for fertilization and plant embryo formation. The Honeybee uses pollen as a food. Pollen is one of the richest and purest natural foods, consisting of up to 35% protein, 10% sugars, carbohydrates, enzymes, minerals, and vitamins A (carotenes), B1 (thiamin), B2 (riboflavin), B3 (nicotinic acid), B5 (panothenic acid), C (ascorbic acid), H (biotin), and R (rutine).
-Honey
Honey is used by the bees for food all year round. There are many types, colors and flavors of honey, depending upon its nectar source. The bees make honey from the nectar they collect from flowering trees and plants. Honey is an easily digestible, pure food. Honey is hydroscopic and has antibacterial qualities. Eating local honey can fend off allergies.
-Beeswax
Secreted from glands, beeswax is used by the honeybee to build honey comb. It is used by humans in drugs, cosmetics, artists' materials, furniture polish and candles.
-Propolis
Collected by honeybees from trees, the sticky resin is mixed with wax to make a sticky glue. The bees use this to seal cracks and repair their hive. It is used by humans as a health aid, and as the basis for fine wood varnishes.
-Royal Jelly
The powerful, milky substance that turns an ordinary bee into a Queen Bee. It is made of digested pollen and honey or nectar mixed with a chemical secreted from a gland in a nursing bee's head. It commands premium prices rivaling imported caviar, and is used by some as a dietary supplement and fertility stimulant. It is loaded with all of the B vitamins.
-Bee Venom
The "ouch" part of the honeybee. Although sharp pain and some swelling and itching are natural reactions to a honeybee sting, a small percentage of individuals are highly allergic to bee venom. "Bee venom therapy" is widely practiced overseas and by some in the USA to address health problems such as arthritis, neuralgia, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and even MS.
NOW THAT I'VE DONE SOME RESEARCH, I PREDICT THE ANSWER TO MY QUESTION WILL BE:
I predict that the most bees will be attracted to the tulips. I think that because they are bright yellow, which will probably attract the bees. Also, they have the second strongest smell out of the flowers in my experiment. According to my research, bees love sweet smells, which also leads me to believe that they will love the tulips. The tulips are decent sized, so will prove as a good landing place for the bees. That’s why I believe that the bees will be most attracted to the tulips out of all the flowers in my yard.
3. Plan A Procedure:
Procedure:During a sunny and warm day I will go outside. I will watch three flowers per species for 5 minutes and record how many bees go to the flowers. Then I will move on to the next type of flower. I will do this for each different flower type and make sure that the weather stays consistent for each visit. I will do three trials for each flower, once at 10 in the morning, again at 1 pm, and once more at 4 pm. I will record my results and analyze them. Then, based on how many visits each flower species gets, I will make my conclusion about which flower attracts the most bees.
The bees liked the Pink Virburnum the best with 68 total bees during the three trials. They liked the tulips and plum tree blossoms second best, with a tie of 41 bees each. Next, they liked the Cornell pink azaleas, and after that the daffodils. They liked the violets the least. I think that they liked the pink Virburum the best because of its very strong smell. I can smell it from the other side of the yard, so they probably can too. I was surprised that they liked the violets the least because during my research I read that bees love dark hues.
Therefore, I conclude that . . . .
The Pink Virburnum is the most attractive flower to bees, out of the ones in my yard.
But was my work valid? . . .
Yes, my work was valid because I had three sucessful trials per flower. The data for each trail was mostly consistant. There were no errors in my project and it went just as I planned it.
Science Project
TOPICS THAT INTEREST ME: Flowers, bees, and nature
CURRICULUM CONNECTION: Animal science
MY TESTABLE QUESTION: Which type of flower are bees most attracted to?
(Out of the flowers currently in my yard: Daffodils, plum tree blossoms, violets, pink viburnum, Cornell pink azalea.)
My experiment involves bee’s preferences. In my experiment I will watch bees and record how many go to different flowers. I will use six different species of flowers, each with different sizes, smells, and colors.
INDEPENDENT VARIABLE: The flower species (color, size, and how strong the smell is on a scale of 1-5)
DEPENDENT VARIABLE: The bee
/2. Investigate the Information:
Helpful Links-
-http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-473897/A-bees-eye-view-How-insects-flowers-differently-us.html
-http://www.bumblebee.org/
NOTES/FACTS:
Types of flowers I will use and descriptions:
Daffodils- color yellow, size large, and how strong the smell is on a scale of 1-5- 2
Violets- color deep purple, size small, and how strong the smell is on a scale of 1-5- 1
Plum tree blossoms- color white, size small, and how strong the smell is on a scale of 1-5- 3
Tulips- color bright yellow, size medium, and how strong the smell is on a scale of 1-5- 4
Pink Viburnum bush- color pale pink, size, large, and how strong the smell is on the scale of 1-5- 5
Cornell pink azalea- color bright pink, size medium, and how strong the smell is on a scale of 1-5 2
_
-Bee’s see flowers differently than humans.
-Bee’s are attracted to dark and very bright hues.
- A honey bee visits about 50-100 flowers during each collection trip.
- The fastest bumble bees can fly almost 10 miles per hour!
- It takes around one ounce of honey to fuel a bee’s flight around the entire world!'
-Pollination
Agriculture depends greatly on the honeybee for pollination. Honeybees account for 80% of all insect pollination. Without such pollination, we would see a significant decrease in the yield of fruits and vegetables.
-Pollen
Bees collect 66 lbs of pollen per year, per hive. Pollen is the male germ cells produced by all flowering plants for fertilization and plant embryo formation. The Honeybee uses pollen as a food. Pollen is one of the richest and purest natural foods, consisting of up to 35% protein, 10% sugars, carbohydrates, enzymes, minerals, and vitamins A (carotenes), B1 (thiamin), B2 (riboflavin), B3 (nicotinic acid), B5 (panothenic acid), C (ascorbic acid), H (biotin), and R (rutine).
-Honey
Honey is used by the bees for food all year round. There are many types, colors and flavors of honey, depending upon its nectar source. The bees make honey from the nectar they collect from flowering trees and plants. Honey is an easily digestible, pure food. Honey is hydroscopic and has antibacterial qualities. Eating local honey can fend off allergies.
-Beeswax
Secreted from glands, beeswax is used by the honeybee to build honey comb. It is used by humans in drugs, cosmetics, artists' materials, furniture polish and candles.
-Propolis
Collected by honeybees from trees, the sticky resin is mixed with wax to make a sticky glue. The bees use this to seal cracks and repair their hive. It is used by humans as a health aid, and as the basis for fine wood varnishes.
-Royal Jelly
The powerful, milky substance that turns an ordinary bee into a Queen Bee. It is made of digested pollen and honey or nectar mixed with a chemical secreted from a gland in a nursing bee's head. It commands premium prices rivaling imported caviar, and is used by some as a dietary supplement and fertility stimulant. It is loaded with all of the B vitamins.
-Bee Venom
The "ouch" part of the honeybee. Although sharp pain and some swelling and itching are natural reactions to a honeybee sting, a small percentage of individuals are highly allergic to bee venom. "Bee venom therapy" is widely practiced overseas and by some in the USA to address health problems such as arthritis, neuralgia, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and even MS.
NOW THAT I'VE DONE SOME RESEARCH, I PREDICT THE ANSWER TO MY QUESTION WILL BE:
I predict that the most bees will be attracted to the tulips. I think that because they are bright yellow, which will probably attract the bees. Also, they have the second strongest smell out of the flowers in my experiment. According to my research, bees love sweet smells, which also leads me to believe that they will love the tulips. The tulips are decent sized, so will prove as a good landing place for the bees. That’s why I believe that the bees will be most attracted to the tulips out of all the flowers in my yard.
3. Plan A Procedure:
Procedure: During a sunny and warm day I will go outside. I will watch three flowers per species for 5 minutes and record how many bees go to the flowers. Then I will move on to the next type of flower. I will do this for each different flower type and make sure that the weather stays consistent for each visit. I will do three trials for each flower, once at 10 in the morning, again at 1 pm, and once more at 4 pm. I will record my results and analyze them. Then, based on how many visits each flower species gets, I will make my conclusion about which flower attracts the most bees.
4. What I'll Need:
I have these:
-Variety of blooming flowers
-Needed things to record my data
I need to locate these:
-Nothing!
5. Keeping Track - Proposed Data Sheet
6. Analyze It All
Here's a Graph:
The data shows that . . . .
The bees liked the Pink Virburnum the best with 68 total bees during the three trials. They liked the tulips and plum tree blossoms second best, with a tie of 41 bees each. Next, they liked the Cornell pink azaleas, and after that the daffodils. They liked the violets the least. I think that they liked the pink Virburum the best because of its very strong smell. I can smell it from the other side of the yard, so they probably can too. I was surprised that they liked the violets the least because during my research I read that bees love dark hues.
Therefore, I conclude that . . . .
The Pink Virburnum is the most attractive flower to bees, out of the ones in my yard.
But was my work valid? . . .
Yes, my work was valid because I had three sucessful trials per flower. The data for each trail was mostly consistant. There were no errors in my project and it went just as I planned it.
7. Bibliography